Morley Community Voices Opposition to Post Office Closure Plans

The Post Office intends to close or convert to franchises 115 crown offices, which are operated directly by the company instead of by subpostmasters and are typically located in urban and town centers. Residents of Morley, situated near Leeds, are hoping their local branch will continue to serve as a central part of their community. Melanie Dominic stated, “It’s not just a post office, everybody knows everybody.” Ms. Dominic, a 52-year-old sales negotiator whose workplace is opposite the branch, expressed that she struggles to envision the town without the post office located at 129a Queen Street. She recounted, “I got my passport done in there, I did my insurance in there.” Numerous patrons indicated they have developed an attachment to the amiable personnel and utilized the branch for sending birthday cards to relatives, obtaining cash, or settling their accounts. Ms. Dominic mentioned that visiting the branch had become a regular part of her day. She also voiced apprehension regarding the potential effects of a closure on older individuals, stating, “It’s the only time they see people, it will isolate people.” An individual named Jackie, who withheld her surname, commented that should the branch cease operations, she would need to find alternative locations for banking services, having begun using the post office due to “most of the banks have closed.” The 59-year-old questioned, “What else is going to close? What’s going to be left?” She added, “We’ve got to fight for what we’ve got left. We need our post office, it’s a lifeline.” Janet Ross, another frequent customer of the Morley branch, stated, “I pay my rent there and we send Christmas gifts to Northamptonshire to my partner’s family.” Ms. Ross, 60, described a potential closure as “devastating,” further remarking, “It’s been here for as long as I can remember.” Subsequent to the announcement of the proposed closures, Mark Sewards, the Labour MP for Leeds South West and Morley, initiated a petition advocating for the branch’s continued operation. He indicated that he had sought an urgent meeting with Post Office chairman Nigel Railton to address “the devastating implications” a closure would impose on local inhabitants and the town center. The Post Office reports that approximately 1,000 employees work across the 115 branches, with hundreds more positions at its headquarters also facing uncertainty. Mr. Railton, in a speech delivered on Wednesday, stated that the restructuring would provide a “new deal for postmasters” through an increased share of revenue and enhanced involvement in the business’s management. These plans, contingent on government funding, project a doubling of average branch pay by 2030, alongside £120m in supplementary pay within the initial year. A Post Office spokesperson commented: “The plan intends to create a new operating model for the business that means ensuring the Post Office has the right organisational design.”